My Dear Professor
by Ichigo-Rei
Summary: Sakura enjoys high school life and finds herself becoming close to her professor, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriends older brother! And what happens when the Uchiha himself moves in next door? Read on to see as this new love story unfolds! AU Itachi and Sakura
1. Sakura's Schedule

Just incase her schedule is confusing.

**Sakura's college schedule**

**Monday through Friday- three classes. From 8 am- 10 am 1 hour break 11 am- 1pm hour long break 2pm- 4pm **

**She has the weekend and holidays off. She only has to take three classes because it is her last year and they're her remaining credits/courses.**


	2. 1 Professor oniisan?

**I know I haven't updated most of my stories in a LONG time so here's a new one that's a little different it's ita-saku AU enjoy**

Chapter 1

I was finally in my last year of college. I had completely moved to a different part of the college so I was adjusting to the new scenery. I had long pink hair and emerald eyes. My bangs were wispy and often pushed to the side. I wasn't very tall and was around 5'4. I had a weird class schedule. All of my classes were taught by the same teacher, I guess he/she taught many things. With my square bag swung over my shoulder and my binder in my arms I walked into the gigantic classroom. All of the rows were perfectly aligned and there was room under the desks to set up a laptop. I reached the class late but managed to beat the professor. I noticed an empty seat all the way in the back by my friend Hinata. She waved me over. A smiled and quickly climbed the stairs. Thankfully it was an end seat; just as I got adjusted and opened my laptop the professor walked in. I noticed it was a male but I couldn't make out his facial features.

_Stupid blindness._

**You should have brought your glasses!**

_I was in a rush this morning! Shut up!_

I had an inner voice, kind of like a conscientious that I talked with quite frequently.

Hinata quickly turned towards me.

"What took you so long?" she whispered.

"Sorry I got stuck in traffic."

The lesson went on smoothly and Hinata helped me with things that were written on the board. She emailed me stuff now and then. We both were in the same boat we had the same teacher all day so she helped me throughout the day as well.

The next day I hurried and was able to beat all the traffic, also remembering to grab my glasses. I ended being the first one to show up. I flipped open my cell phone and saw I was actually an hour early. I walked to a seat two rows from the first row. I flopped down in my seat not sure of what to do. To my surprise the professor walk in a few minutes after me. He looked just as shocked as I was. I quickly stood up and bowed. He put up his hand and shook his head.

"No need to bow Ms. Haruno."

"O-Okay."

I was finally given a chance to see what he looked like. He had long raven-black hair with blood red eyes. He also had lines by his eyes.

_He looks an awful lot like Sasuke._

**Look at his name on the board! It says Uchiha!**

"Are you by any chance related to Sasuke, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Ah, yes I am! He's my little brother!"

My face lit up.

"Wow, you two look so much alike!" I then realized I was speaking quite boldly and put my fingers over my lips. "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me."

"No, no it's quite alright," he said chuckling.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know my name? It was my first day yesterday."

"Ah, yes, but you forget, I'm Sasuke's brother! I've heard all about you! I've also heard about Naruto!" he said smiling.

"Oh, who hasn't heard about Naruto?"

We both laughed and talked about a few things. Time seemed to fly by and soon class started. I was saddened to not be able to talk with him anymore. It was the first intellectual conversation I had ever had with a guy.

The day went by pretty fast and I was actually able to see the board this time. Hinata had found a seat behind me. She sent me an IM message.

_Strong_Hyuuga_Girl: Glad to see you brought your glasses! _

_ Pink_Haired_Kunoichi: haha yeah, yeah I did!_

After each class Mr. Uchiha would come lean against my desk row and we would talk some more. A few weeks passed and I would sometimes even show up early to class just to have an intellectual conversation with him. It was am hour long break between classes and he leaned against my desk to talk to me again. He had said something funny, to which I giggled at, that is until I felt a kick to the bottom of the seat I was at. I cleared my throat and he looked at me oddly. I smiled and the bell rang; he walked over to the board and starting writing the lesson. As soon as I opened my laptop I got an IM.

_Strong_Hyuuga_Girl: What was __**that **__about?_

_ Pink_Haired_Kunoichi: What in Konoha are you talking about?_

_ Strong_Hyuuga_Girl: You know exactly what I'm talking about! He's been talking to you a lot recently!_

_ Pink_Haired_Kunoichi: That's just because I was close to Sasuke in high school! You know the feelings I had for him!_

_ Strong_Hyuuga_Girl: I'm sorry you guys never worked out…_

I gasped slightly when I read it and felt tears building up. I thought for a second and looked up to see Mr. Uchiha staring at me while he talked. My eyes widened and I went back to the IM.

_Pink_Haired_Kunoichi: I'm just glad you and Naruto worked out. I'm gunna log out now, we __**are **__in class._

_ Strong_Hyuuga_Girl: Sorry Sakura, you know I didn't mean it that way…_

_ Pink_Haired_Kunoichi: It's okay. __ I've gotten over that years ago!_

I exited out of the conversation and saw the picture of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and me, centered in the middle of my screen. I smiled sadly. In high school all three of us were in a youth group and we did many things together. Kakashi was our instructor. The four of us were inseparable. When we graduated high school we all went our separate ways. Naruto goes to a college 20 minutes away, Sasuke left the country to go to college in Suna with Gaara, Tamari, and Kankuro, and I go here to Konoha College with Hinata and Ino. Kakashi is still an instructor for Konoha High so I go and see him now and again. I had confessed to Sasuke our senior year. He told me he wasn't interested and I was more like a sister. Things became awkward between us and I quit the youth club letting him go once and for all. I started hanging out with Hinata instead of them. They all threw me a goodbye party, even though I told them it was unnecessary, but I took it as my goodbye to them too.

At the end of the party Sasuke drove me home.

Flashback

_"I still can't believe you're leaving us," Sasuke said._

_ "I know but, I just felt like it was time. We would've had to say goodbye sooner or later, right?"_

_ "I guess."_

_ We pulled up to my house._

_ "Thanks for driving me home Sasuke. I guess I'll see you around."_

_ I opened the door and went to step out. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back in._

_ "Sasuke what're y-"_

_ He turned my head and his lips caught mine. My eyes widened and I saw that his were closed. I was unsure of what to do. He finally pulled away._

_ "W-What was that!" I yelled. "I thought you weren't 'interested' in me!"_

_ "I thought I wasn't either but Sakura when you said you were quitting I didn't want to lose you!"_

_ A desperate part of me didn't want to let go anymore._

End of flashback

We dated for awhile but it didn't work out. We both found it best that to just separate once and for all. Things between us turned into friendship. Like the relationship Naruto and I had when he found Hinata. The sound of the bell snapped me back to reality. How long had I been stuck in memory lane? I shook my head and pushed my things into my bag. Hinata tried to stop me to talk. She knew I was remembering the past.

"Sorry Hinata I have to get home before I get stuck in traffic again. My apartment is on the busy side of town you know?"

She let me go and when I was out of sight I ran to my car. I lied. It was only 4 o'clock. There was no traffic. I opened my car and sat on the pink, cherry blossom printed, seat covers. I drove a newer styled bug. It was black but the inside I had decorated in the style of a Sakura tree. I loved it. I drove home quickly arriving within minutes. I lived in a condo; it was one big room with only two other rooms. One was the bathroom and the other was the closet. The kitchen was on the far right of the room and my queen sized bed was on the far left. My room matched my car. A cheery blossom tree was painted on the wall adjacent to my bed, closest to the door. Opposite the door was the great big window. Instead of a wall it was just pure glass. In the center of it was a door that led to a balcony that was the same length of the window. I lived on the fifth floor; the top of the building basically since above my room was the roof. I threw my things on the floor next to my bed before walking over to my dresser positioned at the end of the bed and began my search for pajamas.

That is until I heard a knock at my door.

**R&R please!**


	3. 2 New Neighbor?

Chapter 2

I considered ignoring the stranger on the other side of the door but they continued knocking. I just wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody. School had ended for a week. It was spring break and I was going to thoroughly enjoy it, dammit!...It was odd that someone was even knocking on my door, I was the only one that lived on the fifth floor. They proved to flush that idea down the drain with their persistent tapping. I stripped off my sweater I was wearing, now only adorning a fitted red tank top and black jean shorts. The weather had really turned in Konoha and I could tell it was preparing for summer. I pulled my long wavy hair into a messy pony-tail. Their knocks became louder. I sighed, aggravated.

"Alright, alright, be right there," I called annoyed.

I swung open the door only to come face to face with someone I wasn't supposed to see for another week, his expression was thoroughly un-amused. That is, until he saw me. My mouth opened and closed slightly but no words ever escaped, no matter how much I wished them to.

"Ah, good afternoon Ms. Haruno," he smirked slightly. He was still in his work clothes, a black suit.

"M-M-Mr. Uchiha, w-what are you doing here?" I could feel my face burning.

"Well you see, I just moved in the apartment across from this one and it seems I've locked my apartment keys in my, um, apartment. So instead of giving me another key the Landlady sent me here, saying who lives here has a spare."

"Oh, yes I do. Um just a moment," I turned around and headed to my kitchen. I paused to see him still in the doorway. "You may come in if you like. Make yourself at home."

He smirked again and walked in, closing the door firmly behind him. I looked at him for a moment, watching him as he scanned my apartment. The tree design seemed to amuse him.

_Has he always been that tall?_

I shook my gaze from him and walked over to my counter. I dug through a bowl with numerous miscellaneous things in it. I sighed when it wasn't there. I walked over to the closet door rummaging through a pouch I hung on a hanger. While I was in the midst of looking for it he spoke up.

"So how long have you lived here?" I heard him sitting down in my computer chair.

"About five months now, I moved in after high school."

"You didn't want to live with your parents anymore?"

"No, besides this apartment's much closer to campus than that house was," I finally found the key. I walked over to him, as I handed it over I felt his fingers gracefully glide over mine. I fought back a blush.

"Well I guess I should go and finish unpacking," he said quietly as he stood up.

I nodded. When he passed me he placed his hand on my bare shoulder for a second before heading to the door. As the door clicked open I turned around, swallowing my embarrassment.

"U-Um…Mr. Uchiha, if there's anything you need just knock, okay?" I could feel the blush rising again.

I saw him smile for a moment. "Same to you," he said before closing the door behind him.

I smiled to myself as I walked to the bathroom. I pulled out my favorite pink towels and turned on the warm water. After I bathed I pulled out my cell to call Hinata.

"Hello?"

"You're _not _going to believe who just moved in across from me."

"Who?"

"Mr. Uchiha."

"No way!" I heard her squeal from my end of the phone. I jerked it away from my ear, laughing.

"Yes way. Apparently he moved in today. He needed to get the spare key." I said as I switched her to speaker and began getting dressed.

I left my hair down to air dry and reapplied my makeup. I put black jean shorts with a black form fitted tank top. On top of that I wore a baggy, thin, silk, long sleeved, dark red, off the shoulder shirt. I nodded in approval towards the mirror.

"So what does his casual wear look like?"

"He just got home, so he was still in his nice suit," I said giggling again at the thought of my professor actually locking himself out of his apartment.

Hinata groaned. "Boring~!" When she was around people she was comfortable with she actually had quite the personality. I laughed at her disappointment.

"Yeah, I guess. You girls still coming over tonight?"

"Yeah! Ino just got out of the shower, then we're going to swing by and pick up Ten Ten from her and Neji's apartment. We should be at your place in about an hour kay?"

"Sounds great! I was able to borrow the projector from Kakashi so movie night at Sakura's is going to be like theater night at Sakura's!"

"I'm so excited! We haven't had a girl's night since high school!" she squealed. "Hey, I gotta go, Ino needs help with her hair."

"Kay'! See you girls soon!"

We hung up the phone. I then started to finish tidying up the room and setting up the projector. I almost had it all set up but something didn't seem right. Even though I could hear the sound from the DvD I the picture wasn't going through. I sighed in aggravation. I couldn't wait for the girls to show up, none of them knew anything about projectors. I glanced weakly at my door.

_Well, he __**does **__live next door, and he __**is **__a professor. Maybe he'll know. I'll just consider this payback for helping him out with the key!_

But not before a quick look in the mirror. My makeup still looked good and my long hair, once damp, was almost completely dry and was forming soft curls. I took in a deep breath and walked over next door.

I pulled my sweater sleeve back and flipped my wrist over checking the time on my thin black watch.

_It's only eight, but maybe he is asleep?_

I lightly tapped on the door just in case. I stood there for a second, contemplating just to run back to my apartment and Google the damn thing. Just as I was about to give up hope the doorknob turned slowly. Mr. Uchiha looked out at first and when he saw me he pulled the door open further and stepped into the opening. His once neatly pulled back raven hair was now falling lazily over his shoulders, showing how long it really was. His usual glasses he taught in were also removed. He was in baggy black sweats with an equally baggy black shirt. I felt a blush crawling its way around my face.

"I-I'm really sorry to be bothering you! B-But u-um you see…I'm having a sort of girls night at my place, and I was wondering if you could help me fix the projector. I borrowed it from my old high school teacher, but he's so damn lazy he didn't tell me how to hook it up. And since you're a professor I thought maybe you could fix it. Again, I'm really sorry." I said talking way to fast and looked down at my feet tugging at the end of my sweater.

I heard him let out a low chuckle and he patted my head. "Sure one sec, let me lock up my apartment and grab the key."

I looked up and smiled at him brightly. I waited against the wall patiently until I heard a few clicks from inside his apartment. He walked out once again and followed me the few feet across the hallway to my own condo. I pointed at the large projector positioned just across from my bed and some bean bags I tugged out of the closet. I walked over to the damned thing and showed him where the problem was.

"You see, I know I'm almost there because I can hear the sound but there's no visual." I pouted crossing my arms and leaning my weight to one hip.

"Hn." He hummed as he looked over it. He stood there for a moment. "Ah, here we go! You have these two cables mixed up!" I walked over to him, incredulous. "They may be the same colors but see how the wires right here are twisted?" I nodded. "Cables like these go in order. You just have to follow the pattern."

"Amazing, I spent thirty minutes on that and you found it in just thirty seconds!" I sighed for a second before turning to him smiling warmly. "Thank you so much Mr. Uchiha!"

He chuckled for a moment. "Anytime, but please, we are on spring break. Call me Itachi," he said smiling at me.

"O-Oh, alright." A blush rose to my cheeks again. He was about to speak again when the door to my apartment rang. I jumped in surprise. "That's probably them," he said as he went to get the door for me.

Their faces were priceless and I would have laughed but I knew I would have a storm of questions as soon as he walked out that door.

"Hello ladies." He said calmly but I noticed he had pulled his hair to one side, almost ridding it of its previously messy nature. He walked back over to where I was standing by the counter to grab his keys. He patted me on the head again. "Goodnight Sakura," he mumbled low in my ear causing me to shiver.

"Goodnight…Itachi." I saw him smile.

"Goodnight girls, have fun," he said before he closed the door. I smiled at the sealed frame. It wasn't until we heard his own apartment door close and lock that Ino sprang forward.

"_What_ was that? _Who _was that?"

I saw Hinata just smiling.

"It was Ita-_ehem_-Mr. Uchiha, from the university. He was helping me fix the projector."

"That's it?"

"Yes, can we get to the movie now? It's rather long you know?"

"Fine." She said giving up.

We each plopped on our own favorite spots. Hinata and I laid on the bed while Ino and Ten Ten took the bean bags. The popcorn on the coffee table in front of us filled the room with a warm aroma. We talked a little bit during the movie. I felt vibration in my jean pocket and smacked it immediately. The lights were off so the small screen was like a flashlight in the condo. Once my vision cleared I saw just who was calling me. With the phone clutched in my hand I got off the bed and headed towards the door.

"Where're you going? Want us to pause it?" Ten Ten asked.

"No, I've seen this one before; I'm just taking a quick call. Keep watching, I'll be right back."

I closed the door securely behind me and leaned against the adjacent wall. I looked down at the phone as it continued to vibrate in my hand. I flipped in open quickly and pressed it to my ear.

"Hel-"

"Took you long enough." I heard him mutter on his end.

I laughed. "Well I'm sorry I was in the middle of something. The girls are over tonight."

"Hn."

I sighed on my end. "Haven't heard from you in a while, how's Suna, Sasuke?"

"It's going fine."

"You're keeping up on your studies, right? Not too many parties?"

I heard him chuckle. "Yes Sakura, I'm doing fine in classes. Still that same studious girl huh?"

"You know I have to be for the profession I want to transfer to."

"You mean you're still in the basic classes? Why?"

"I like my teacher," I said smiling. "besides I kinda screwed up my last year so I need these classes to transfer. It's only for a year or so." My smile faded.

"Oh. So how's Naruto and Kakashi doing?"

"If you called them once in a while you'd know."

"Hn."

I paused for a moment, thinking over my next words carefully. "Sasuke, why'd you really call me?"

"Sakura?" I looked up to see Itachi staring at me from his doorway.

I put a hand over the bottom half of the phone. "M-Mr. Uchiha! I'm sorry! Were you sleeping? I hope my phone call didn't wake you!"

"No, no, I was just grading papers, but are you okay?" He was looking at me closely and I couldn't help blushing.

"Y-Yes sir. Just talking to an old friend…"

"Sakura?" I heard Sasuke from the phone. "Sakura who's there?"

"Is that Sasuke?" Itachi asked and I simply nodded. He gave me a knowing look before grabbing my phone from my hand. "Hello?...Yes it's your dear older brother who you never call anymore…I'm her neighbor," he paused for a second to give me a wink. "Soo, what's up?...No I won't…you do know there's a time difference right? Isn't it past your bedtime in Suna?...Goodnight little brother." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to me, smirking.

I raised my eyebrows. "He's going to be so pissed at you tomorrow," I said shaking my head amused.

"Good, then maybe he'll actually take the time to check in with family. Our mother's been worried sick over him."

I tilted my head to the side, leaning against the wall again. "That's Sasuke for you."

He smiled again. Our heads both jerked towards my door when we heard the girl's bursts of laughter. "How's 'girl's night' going?"

"Good, sorry if we get a little loud tonight, that's what happens when we all get together."

"It's quite alright. I hope you guys have a good time."

"Thanks," I said as he turned to walk back towards his apartment. "Ah, Itachi?"

He turned around and smiled. "Yes?"

My words seemed to crawl back inside away from my tongue. It became harder to talk when those red eyes were focused on me. "Goodnight."

His smile widened and his eyes crinkled slightly. "Goodnight, Sakura."

I beamed back at him as we turned around and headed back to our exclusive homes. It wasn't until I closed and locked the door that I realized the room was quiet and they were all staring at me, smirking. Even Hinata.


	4. 3 Old Teacher

The looks on their faces made me fidget. I lifted one arm and grabbed my elbow, rubbing one heel against the other.

"What?"

"Who was that?" Ino asked smugly.

"On the phone? It was Sasuke." I tried playing it off, hoping they didn't hear me talking to Itachi.

Hinata and Tenten let their expressions drop knowing not to press the issue, but Ino continued. She never did know the word tact. "What did he have to say?"

I blushed and looked at the floor. "I don't really know what he wanted. He didn't really get a chance to answer the question…"

"Oh?"

"Mr. Uchiha heard me and came out to see what was going on. He took my phone to talk to his little brother. Then he hung up on him."

Their jaws dropped before erupting into a fit of giggles. "Sasuke's going to be so pissed!" Tenten laughed.

"Yeah, anyways, can we get back to the movie?" I asked trying to change the subject.

They pressed play and I resituated myself next to Hinata. She looked at me, trying to find answers, but I just smiled at the screen. At this point I wasn't watching the movie anymore. A million thoughts were running through my head.

_Those eyes, why was he looking at me so intently in the hallway?_

…

_A little help here?_

**I'm honestly at a loss for words Sakura. **

_WHAT?_

**Yeah, but I do know one thing.**

_*Mental sigh* What's that?_

**I think it's time to forget about Sasuke.**

My eyes went wide. Did my own head just tell me that? A year ago I would have disagreed with that, strongly. Then again, a year ago inner Sakura wouldn't have said that. I think what affected me the most was the fact that I was okay with it. I shook away my own thoughts and tried my best to focus on the movie.

We stayed up and gossiped until about three in the morning. Hinata was the first to fall asleep. She passed out on the bottom of my bed. I was thankful I decided on the full instead of the twin. I put a finger to my lips indicating to be quiet and I tip toed over to the closet. On the closet floor was a small stool I pulled out to use to access the higher shelves. It was quite difficult reaching higher things when I was only 5'4. I grabbed the two futons and blankets for Ino and Tenten. Since my apartment was studio styled there was plenty of room to lay them out. I fell asleep on the upper half of the bed by Hinata.

I woke up to soft tapping on the door. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Getting out of bed I smoothed out the soft pink nightgown I had changed into the night before. I took a quick check at my wall mirror. My hair, that usually ended at the end of my rib cage, was a tad messy and seemed an inch shorter. It was scruffy but decent enough. I was glad I remembered to wash off my makeup, so I had nothing smeared. I was once again thanked the heavens for my flawless and smooth skin. On my way to the door I picked up my glasses on my dresser and put them on. I continued quietly to the door and opened it slightly.

"Yes?" I whispered.

"Sorry to bother you," it was Itachi.

I opened the door a little wider and stepped out a little. "What's up?"

"Well I thought I should jus-" he stopped mid-sentence.

I raised an eyebrow. "Thought you should just?"

"Um," he cleared his throat. Rubbing the side of his neck he looked away from me. With his other hand he dug in his pocket. It was then that I noticed he was only wearing dark jeans and a casual loose black short. His hair was pulled back in it's usual low ponytail. He pulled out a key. "I thought I should give this back to you."

I reached my hand out and he dropped it in my palm. "You sure you don't want to keep it? Everybody should have a spare key."

He turned to look back towards me but only cleared his throat again. "No, it's okay. Anyways, I'll see you later."

"Oh? Where're you heading?" I probably shouldn't be asking. He doesn't seem very happy to see me. I wonder if we _were_ too loud last night.

"My parents' house."

"Oh, okay. Listen, I'm really sorry. We were pretty loud last night."

This time he raised an eyebrow. "What? No you were fine."

"No, I know we were. I can tell you're upset. I'm really sorry." I looked down at the ground.

When I looked back up I saw he was looking at me incredulously. "That's not…what I mean is…" He paused for a moment. "I was just up late grading. I'm not upset with you Sakura," he said smiling. He lifted his arm up and checked the time on his watch. "Listen, I have to go or else Mother will kill me. I'll see you later."

I smiled at him, slightly showing teeth. "Alright, bye…Itachi."

Smiling, he waved and started down the hallway to the elevator. I couldn't help myself from watching him leave. I looked down again, shaking my head. It was then that I remembered and noticed I was wearing a shorter nightgown…

I felt my knees start to shake until they buckles and gave in, making me fall to the floor. I clutched the door frame. "Oh my god."

Hinata seemed to be the only one to have heard the thud from my fall. She quickly made her way over to the door to help me up. "What happened?"

"I-I-I-Itachi, he-he-he-he-he…"

"He saw you in your nightgown didn't he?"

I nodded in embarrassment as she pulled me to my feet.

"What did he want?"

"To give me back the key."

"To his apartment?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm." She winked at me.

"Hinata! He's my teacher!"

"Of your last year in college."

I just gave her look and went to put the key away. Around this time the others started getting up. We all took turns with the shower. I pulled my long hair into a high ponytail, flattening my bangs and swooping them slightly to the side, let them frame each side of my face. I wore a white button up blouse and rolled the sleeves up to the middle of my forearms. I then put on nice black slacks with two inch, closed toe, red heels. By the time I finished dressing the rest of the girls were done as well.

"So what are your guy's plans for the day?" I asked messing with my bangs in the mirror.

"N-Naruto and I have a d-date." The mention of Naruto was the only time Hinata stuttered around us.

"I've got a class to teach over at the elementary," Tenten said. She was a year older than us and already had a job at the school. The university was the only school on spring break at the moment.

"I've got to help out with the store during break." Ino had to work during her vacations at her families flower shop.

"What about you Sakura?" Hinata asked.

"Ah, I'm going to go return the projector and screen to Kakashi and visit him for a bit," I said already wrapping everything up and folding the screen.

They helped me get the equipment into my car and we all drove our separate ways. I was lucky I was able to get everyone together now. We've all been so busy as of late.

The drive to the high school took a little longer than I'd planned. I drove around to the back of the school where Kakashi's classroom was. I hauled everything up between both my arms and headed in through the door. Lucky for me he kept the door open. He was reading his usual "Flirting Paradise" book. I shook my head and put everything down on the back counter. He looked up at me and waved.

"Yo," he said casually.

"Hey Kakashi. How's class going?" I asked going to sit on an old desk table.

"Oh awful Sakura. They never listen to me. They talk back."

I laughed. "Don't you have Konohamaru and his gang in your class?" The one eye you could see, the other covered by his overly silver hair, dropped emotion. This made me laugh again. "He's grown into quite the "mini Naruto" hasn't he?"

"Tell me about it," he chuckled putting his book down. He walked over and leaned against the window seal right across from me. "So how are you doing? It's rare you come to visit me."

"Yeah, I thought I'd come see the old class room again and drop off the projector. Thanks again. I'm doing fine."

"It's no problem. So how is your new class?"

"Oh it's going great! I'm on spring break right now. My teacher's pretty great," I said smiling.

"Oh?" There was a knowing tone to his voice that I didn't like. "Who is it?"

"It's-" I began.

"Excuse me? Mr. Hatake, you here?" I turned where I was sitting.

I recognized that voice.


	5. 4 Memories of That One Night

There, with his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, was none other than the professor himself. I stared at him blankly for a moment. Why was he here? Didn't he just tell me this morning he was going to visit his family?

"Ah! Itachi!" Kakashi said smiling. "And do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He teased.

Kakashi, while keeping an eye on me, walked over to Itachi. I looked away from both of them and looked at out the window. A view of green mountains greeted me. I wouldn't dare to break my gaze.

"Well, if you did you're work on time, the university wouldn't send me, on my week off by the way, to fetch it from you," there was a hint of annoyance to his voice but he seemed mostly amused.

I smiled and knew Kakashi was ruffling his hair when he began laughing nervously. "Right. Right. I finished it, but you see on my way to the university to drop it off a stray black cat crossed my path. I was so overcome with a sense of bad luck I had to take another root. And then I got lost and somehow ended up back at my house."

Listening in on their conversation I couldn't help but laugh. When I turned on the table to face them, they were both looking at me. Kakashi looked unappreciative of my laugh but Itachi was smirking.

"Don't let him fool you Mr. Uchiha, he used to tell us the same story all the time."

"Sakura," Kakashi sighed, "I thought you were supposed to be on my side here?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You should do your work properly. Just because I'm not here anymore doesn't mean you can slack off and read you're books!"

"Sakura~…"

"Don't Sakura~ me do your work!" I laughed.

He dropped down in the seat connected to the table I was sitting on. I looked back at Itachi, who was still leaning against the door. The look on his face was a little intimidating to say the least. He didn't look happy. I almost jumped when Kakashi spoke up.

"So how do you two know each other?"

"I'm her teacher." Itachi spoke up before I could.

"Oh?" I flinched at Kakashi's tone. I knew what he was about to say. "So _he's _the one you were telling me about." He didn't have to have a mask over his face to know he was smirking.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. I was thankful when my phone broke the silence. I hopped off the table and grabbed it out of my pocket, glaring at Kakashi in the process.

"Hello?" The deep voice on the other end made my eyes widen.

I sighed. "Hi," I held a finger up to the other two and walked outside the classroom. When I thought I was out of earshot I started talking again. "So what's up Sasuke?"

"What the hell was that last night?"

"That was your brother?"

"Why was he on your phone?"

"He told you didn't he? He moved into the apartment across from mine."

"Hn."

I sighed.

"Is he going to take your phone again?"

"No he's talking to Kakashi at your moment."

"Kakashi's at your apartment?"

"No, I'm at the school, Itachi showed up. He needed a report or something from Kakashi."

"Hn."

"How's Suna? How's Temari doing?"

"Suna's fine, hot, but fine. She's doing good. I don't really see them a lot though. Different classes."

"Oh, yeah," I said leaning against my car.

"Hey Sakura, can I ask you a question?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why'd we break up?"

My eyes widened and I brought a hand up to my mouth. I wasn't sure how to answer him. When we broke up we just never talk about it again. It was something that happened and was going to be just a memory. It was _supposed _to be just a memory.

"I-I don't know, it just kind of ended." We graduated high school, spent a year more dating through college and then it just, ended. He moved to Suna and I didn't follow him. The year we spent dating in college was long distance and I had heard a rumor he was unfaithful. Everything just crumbled in on itself.

"Oh. How could we just let it end?"

"Sasuke, we were so young. That summer…that summer we spent together, remember when we were laying under the stars? Do you remember what I said to you?"

"Everything's going to be so different once we leave this place."

After we had graduated Group 7 along with a few other graduated groups went on a road trip. We went away to some cabins by a lake close to Konoha. It was an amazing two and a half months. Naruto and Hinata got together, as did Tenten and Neji. As for Sasuke and I, we shared the most passionate memories. I'll never forget that night we spent underneath the moon and stars.

"And hasn't it been? Nothing's been the same."

"Yeah."

I looked back over at the classroom and jumped slightly. Itachi was watching me from the window. He looked worried. I smiled brightly at him to show everything was all right. His once tense shoulders seemed to relax a bit. I shook my head. I needed to get out of memory lane.

"Listen Sasuke, I have to go. We decided when we broke up not to talk about the past remember? Only moving forward?"

"But now I want to tal-"

"Goodbye Sasuke," I said hanging up.

I pulled my keys out of my pocket. After unlocking the door I threw my phone into the car. I turned back to the window and saw Kakashi standing by Itachi. Smiling I waved goodbye. Kakashi unlatched and opened the window.

"Where are you going?"

I jingled my keys. "Home."

"I'm going out for ramen later with Naruto, you coming?"

"Uh, sure, maybe, I don't know. I have to clean my apartment. I had the girls over, my place is thrashed."

That was a lie. They always pick up and I never leave anything less than immaculate. I just needed an excuse to go home. I could already feel the corner of my eyes stinging.

He paused for a moment. "Alright. It's at the usual place if you want to come."

"Kay, thanks. Later."

Didn't bother to look for Itachi. I quickly got in the car and slammed the door. Backing out quickly I sped out of the parking lot. Once I was safely out of the high school, I cried.


	6. 5 Got It Bad

It took all the power I could to get all the way up to my apartment. As soon as it was unlocked my bag was tossed and slid across the floor. I slammed the door shut with my heel and walked over to the isle counter that was by my fridge. Pulling out a chair I collapsed into it and buried my face in my arms. Not caring that my perfectly done makeup would be rubbing against my skin and nicely washed white shirt. I had plenty of blouses anyways.

I'm not quite sure how long I stayed that way. Thoughts of the lake, the cabins, even the texture of the grass ran through my head. There was a sudden urgent knock on the door that was ignored. It only became even more persistent but was still unnoticed. It wasn't until the door was opening that I jumped up and turned around in immediate fighting stance.

"What the fu-" I stopped when I saw it was Itachi. "Damn it, Itachi. You scared the hell out of me!" I scolded, quickly wiping away evidence of my previous embarrassment.

I saw him look around my place for a moment. "Immaculate huh?"

He turned to smirk at me. I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Your parent's house huh?" I mocked.

That seemed to catch him off guard. "Well I was on my way to their house but the university called me. So I decided to head over there first."

"So why are you hear now?"

He walked over to me and very gently placed a hand on my cheek. His thumb wiping away some mascara and tears. "Because I've seen that look on you before."

"What look?" I asked, saving the last bit of pride I had left.

"The 'I'm about to lose it' look." Giving him a questioning look he continued. "A couple years ago when Sasuke was home from vacation, you guys when out to our family's garden to have a 'talk.' You came back first and had the same look on your face. You probably don't remember, you were too busy looking down, we almost hit each other in the hallway. When you looked up, you had the exact same look on your face."

I was shocked. I didn't remember. My mind was so absorbed with Sasuke, that I was a completely different person back then. I pulled away from his touch. "I feel stupid, I haven't cried in years."

"Really? Since that time?"

"Yeah. You should feel honored, you're the first person to see me cry," I said making a pitiful attempt at laughing.

I turned to walk to the bathroom. Trying to see just how bad I looked and to clean up, but I was stopped mid step. With a sharp tug on my wrist I was flung into his arms. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close. I wasn't sure how to react so I just let my arms hand by my sides. Was this really happening right now? Was _the_ Itachi Uchiha hugging me? My professor? My neighbor?

After a few moments he let go and with a pat to my head he walked to the door. I didn't move. I heard him open the door but just as he was about to step through he stopped.

"If you ever need anything Sakura, anything at all I'm just next door. I'm not just your teacher, remember that." With that he closed the door behind him.

I stayed frozen like that for a moment. Letting the entire sequence process through my head , trying to come to some kind of intelligent and realistic conclusion of what just happened. No results. I turned to the only place I could. My cell phone.

Calling Ino would be too dangerous. She loved gossip. So I went for Hinata. She was quiet and knew that she'd always keep a secret, especially if it was important.

"Hello?" a quiet voice asked.

"Hinata?"

"Sakura? What's wrong? You sound shaken."

"Well first I got a call from Sasuke bringing up our relationship and the-"

"Sasuke? Give me ten minutes I'll be right over."

She hung up. She was good like that. She waited until you were ready to talk about it and once you were she was right there for you giving only the best advice in the world.

I made sure by the time she came over that all remnants of my tears were gone. She kept to her promise and in less than ten minutes there was a knock on my door. I invited her in and we talked almost three hours. Most of that was me trying to tell her what happened. She made me a nice hot cup of tea.

"So he just up and hugged you?"

"Yeah! He pulled my wrist and held me really close."

"Was it weird?"

"What?"

"Did you, at any point, think it was awkward, or uncomfortable, or weird?"

"No." The answer was almost familiar.

"So what'd he say when he left?"

"That if I ever needed anything he was right next door and…" I paused thinking about his last sentence. It sent a weird sensation up a spine.

"And?"

"That he's not just my teacher and that I should remember that."

Hinata, who was once standing, fell on the bed. Her soft purple dress falling gracefully into place.

"Oh honey, he's got it bad."

"Got what bad?"

"And I think you do too."

"Got what? What do I have?"

"Well, I would tell you, and I _really_ want to, but I feel this is something you two should discover on your own. If I say it now, it will just make things awkward. Oh goodness…" She paused. Thinking her next words over carefully. "Are you going to take Sasuke back?"

"What?" I was taken off guard by the question.

"If he asks you to date him again what are you going to say?"

"No." I stopped. Shocked at my own words. "I don't want to be with him anymore. I-I feel like the part of my life with him in it is over. Like I've grown up."

She smiled at me. "Then you're halfway there."

I sighed resting my forehead on the counter. She came over to me and patted me on the back.

"There, there." She checked her watch. "Hey I have to get over to Ichiraku, we're having ramen. You coming?"

"Yeah, give me a second. I have to change."

I pulled my hair out of the pony tail and quickly curled it. Washing my face first, I fixed my makeup. I threw on dark blue jean shorts with a dark red, low v-neck, tightly fitted, shirt with sleeves that ended under my elbows. I put on the same heels from earlier.

Hinata whistled when I walked out.

"You look nice," she said in the same tone Kakashi used earlier.

"Do I?" I asked boringly.

I didn't want to tell her the real reason I tried so hard was because we might see Itachi on our way out.


	7. 6 The Bookstore

I decided against a purse since we will most likely be gone pretty late into the night. I stuffed my needed amount of money into my front pocket. To my unknown disappointment we did not run into Itachi on the way out.

Ichiraku had the same warm atmosphere and smell as always. We found Naruto and Kakashi sitting at a table in the corner. Naruto waved us over ecstatically. Hinata bounced over and I followed solemnly behind. I should have just stayed home.

_Stupid Sakura, stupid._

**Aw come on girl, don't beat yourself up over it.**

I took a seat next to Kakashi. He looked over at me and smiled.

"I see you made it."

"I guess so."

I mostly stayed quiet as they all chatted about. I barely ate; spent most the time just swirling the noodles around in circles with my fork. I chuckled slightly at Naruto as he slurped his down making a mess. Hinata sighed at him, cleaning some up slightly. Whenever those two got together nobody else was in the room. I rested my head on one hand looking back at the bowl.

"You seem enthusiastic," Kakashi teased nudging me slightly.

I glared at him. A gesture in which he returned with a clothed smile. "Oh shut up Kakashi."

"I'm wounded. Is that how you talk to an elder?"

"Sorry, maybe I should talk a little louder then," I smirked at him.

His smile dropped and the amusement left his eye. "Jerk."

"Don't start a battle you can't win Kakashi."

He chuckled. "So, you have any plans after this?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about heading to the bookstore. You?"

"Going home. I've got class in the morning."

"Sucker."

"Yeah, yeah. We can't all be lucky college students who get a week off."

"Oh whatever, your vacation is next week when I go back to school."

He smiled at me again. "I know."

"I hope a black cat didn't cross your path on your way over here," I smiled right back at him, hinting that he came here instead of doing his work.

"Eheh…"

"Itach- Mr. Uchiha isn't going to be very happy with you."

"Then give him my apologies," he leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"W-Why would I do that?" I asked, dropping my fork by accident.

This action caused Hinata and Naruto to look up. Pulling the money from pocket, I dropped it next to my bowl.

"I'm leaving. It's getting late, I-I still have to go to the bookstore," I said getting up.

"Alright, goodbye Sakura." Hinata said.

"Later."

On my way out I waved goodbye to the manager and his daughter. I was a regular since Naruto and I were friends since elementary school. Naruto's their best customer. I hurried out to my car, getting in and locking the door. I fastened on my seatbelt and put my hands on the top of the wheel. I leaned over it and breathed out heavily. What the hell was wrong with me lately? Just the mere mention of him and I lost control. If there was one thing I hated it was losing control over any situation. Shaking my head I turned on the radio and headed over to my favorite bookstore.

It was a little shop tucked away in a corner, away from the rest of the city life of Konoha. I opened the door and heard the bell jingle above my head. A woman around Kakashi's age came tapping out from the back. She had medium length black hair that was ruffled. Her eyes were a lighter shade of red than Itachi's.

"Sakura!" She exclaimed brightly. "Nice to see you! It's pretty late though. You sure you're okay being out this late?"

I laughed. "Hey Amane. You're the one that should be worried, keeping the shop open when you're already 5 months pregnant!"

She giggled and rubbed her tummy. "Oh, it's alright, Kasuma comes and gets me every night."

"That's good. Got anything new?"

"A little, depends on what you're looking for. You've just about read everything I have in stock." She laughed.

"I don't know. Something distracting?" I asked pulling a book off from the shelf and inspecting the cover.

"Distracting? Having boy troubles dear?"

The book fell from my fingers. I laughed nervously and bent down to pick it up. Amane loomed over me dangerously.

"Who is it?" Terror in her voice.

_Uh oh. Mom modes on._ Amane had known me since I was little and due to the fact that my parents were absent during most of my childhood, she basically raised me.

"It's no one."

"Is it Sasuke again?"

"No, well yes, but no. He's over."

"Over? That's the first I've heard of it."

"That's because I ended it this morning."

"You're kidding?"

"No, he called me and I think wanted to get back together but I basically hung up on him."

"Oh. Wow. So you're finally moving on huh?" She smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Yeah, me too." I chuckled.

"So who else is in the picture?"

I blushed. "No one!"

"Mmhmm."

There was a jingle at the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. Amane was off my case, at least for now.

"Hello? How may I help you? Oh! Mikoto said she was sending her son! One second, I'll go fetch her book from the back."

"Thank you."

After putting the fallen book back in place I turned around to look down another isle. When I turned, however, I only came face to face with the devil himself.

"Itachi?"

_You've got to be kidding me? _

He looked at me, equally surprised. "Sakura?" He chuckled. "Well we seem to be seeing each other quite frequently."

"Yes, it seems to have become some sort of habit," I said playing with a curl in my hair.

"Seems to be that way."

What was taking Amane so long? This was too much. How am I supposed to react after what happened earlier? I leaned against a counter that was near him. He reached a hand up and ran it through my hair, causing a shiver to run up my spine. Holding the end of my hair he brought it to his lips. Kissing it softly he glanced up at me. Staring into his eyes I felt my feet glue to the ground. This was bad, this was wrong. He stood back up straight and let the strands slowly fall from his fingers. His gaze never leaving mine. It was only a few seconds more that Amane came back with the book.

"Alright, that'll be…" the voices faded from my head. Thoughts raced through and jumbled together.

"Goodbye Sakura," he said, walking past me out the door.

"Later."

Amane leaned against the counter by me. "You two know each other?"

"Neighbors…and he's my college professor."

She only looked at me and shook her head. "Oh goodness. Good luck honey, you're going to need it."

I looked at her confused for a moment. Deciding to drop it I left the store, bookless, and drove home. School was starting back up again in five days. What was I going to do then?


	8. 7 Early Morning Surprise

The next five days dragged on painfully slow. With sign of my neighbor either. He never returned home that night from the bookstore. I could only guess he was staying at his parents. But why?

Finally it was Monday morning. College in less than an hour. I made sure to curl my hair again. I put on dark jeans, a black camisole, and a dark red cardigan like sweater. It was long and slightly loose, I buttoned the bottom up, so my part of my shirt could still be seen but I was still warm. Weather had turned in Konoha towards the end of the break. I paid extra attention to my makeup using thin black eyeliner that was winged out slightly. I brushed over it with faint sparkling pink eye shadow. Adding mascara to my long lashes for a finishing touch. On my way out I slipped on plain black ballet flats. I swung my laptop bag over my shoulder and carried my zipped up binder in one hand. Locking up my apartment I left. I looked at his door as I walked past it but no signs of life could be heard. I shook my head and continued towards my car.

The sky was clouded over a dark grey and there was a small wind. I hurried into the building. When I entered the classroom I looked to the left only to see no one was there yet.

_I really have to stop doing this 'early' thing. It's unhealthy._

I settled down in a seat a few rows up. Sliding the binder and bag beneath my feet I set the laptop inform of me. Just as I went to open it I looked up to see Itachi leaning against the wall by the chalkboard, looking at me. The glasses he wore gave him a sharper gaze than usual. I stood up and bowed.

"G-Good morning Mr. Uchiha."

He raised a hand and waved. "Morning." I looked around for a clock but couldn't find one. I saw him check his watch. "You sure do like to show up early," he chuckled, advancing the steps towards me.

I laughed hesitantly. "How bad is it this time?"

"An hour."

I slammed my palm to my forehead. "Oh great."

He chuckled again. "Well since it seems like we have some time to talk, how was your vacation?"

"Fine I guess. Kind of boring. Everybody was busy with dates or work."

"Oh? You didn't have anything to do?"

"Nope," I sighed. "That's what happens when you're the only one of your friends with no job and no boyfriend."

"Oh?"

"So what about you?"

"What?" He was leaning against a table across from me now.

"How was your vacation?"

"Ah, I just lazed about mostly and graded papers."

"Oh…" I had to muster up all my courage to continue. "Were you at your parents' or something…?"

He smiled at me. "Yeah. The Uchiha Residence is always quiet…it's a good place to be free from, distractions, especially when I need to buckle down and work."

_Distractions? What could possibly be distracting him?_

"So, um, you were awful…dressy…at the bookstore last week," he almost looked flustered.

I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Then it hit me. I could feel the heat in my face, which only caused more of a blush to spread across my cheeks to my ears. "I-I-I was having dinner with some f-f-friends."

_I can't possibly tell him I dressed like that because I thought I would see him. What the hell is wrong with me? Inner me help!_

**Sorry hun, you're on your own this time. Even I don't know how to respond to that. Itachi's got a sharp eye.**

_Useless!_

"Oh? Was it ramen with Mr. Hatake?" His voice pitch dropped dangerously low.

"Yeah? Oh, you heard him tell me as I left. Yeah, we met up with some friends and-"

He pushed off the desk and walked towards me. Leaning down he placed one hand on the table and the other on the back of my chair, pinning me there. With my feet off the side, I backed up slightly. My left hand gripping the back of the chair and the other gripping the base kept me from slipping. He leaned down a little farther, just inches from my face. I gulped and stared back at him helplessly. He leaned even closer and I shut my eyes tightly. I felt pressure on my shoulder. Opening my eyes back up I saw he had laid his head down in the crook of my neck. I mentally swatted away stupid thoughts. What was I expecting anyways?

"Itachi…? A-Are you okay?" I whispered. My voice cracking slightly.

"Oh Sakura, I-" he went to say more but stopped when we heard footsteps approaching the door. I saw his grip tighten. How long had we stayed that way? He removed himself quickly and swiftly, walking back down the stairs. He stopped mid-step. "Miss Haruno?"

I gulped again. "Yes, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Your hair looks nice curled," he smiled.

With eyes widening a blush crept over my face again. It was then that I noticed I was slightly out of breath.

The class room slowly started filling up. Hinata was able to scoot down the booth seat and sit next to me.

"Good morning." She smiled cheerfully. A week with Naruto did wonders to her mood.

"Morning," I said, feeling slightly defeated.

She eyed me. "What happened?" She whispered as class started.

I looked at Itachi's straight form as he taught. With his glasses over his eyes and a book in one hand his low voice echoed throughout the almost quiet room. I rested my chin on my palm and stared at him.

"Oh my," Hinata softly giggled.

I still continued to stare at him. A thought struck my head and I felt myself blushing. Again. I've been that a lot lately.

_I wonder what his hair feels like. _

**It has to be soft. **

_Yeah, he keeps it in a rubber band almost every day though. _

**Yeah, I wonder what his lips feel like.**

_Me too._

My eyes widened. I shook my head slightly. Resting both elbows on the table I covered my mouth and nose with my hands.

"Oh no," I whispered.

"What?" Hinata whispered back.

My eyes didn't leave him. "I'm in big trouble."

"What are you talking about Sakura?"

Itachi looked up from his book. His eyes coming in contact with mine, I took in a sharp breath. Quickly picking up my pencil I started scribbling down nonsense notes. I needed a distraction, slightly embarrassed that I was caught staring. I heard what sounded like a laugh that was swiftly turned into a clearing of the throat. I looked up from my notebook to see him turning around. Just as he turned I could get a small glimpse of his face. His ears seemed a little pink. I turned my head to the side. Was he? No, impossible.

Looking around the rest of the room I saw everybody was either burrowed into writing notes or were playing some block like game with each other. I deemed it safe to look back at him. He ended his lecture shortly and excused us to work on either classwork or something else. This was our "social hour."

"So, you were focusing awfully hard on class today."

Turning to my right I saw Hinata smiling at me.

"Hinata, I think I get what you've been playing at, but this is a dangerous game and I'm not going to participate."

She only sighed at me for a moment. "Spoiled sport." I shook my head at her. "So, are you coming to the festival Friday?"

"Festival?"

She looked at me incredulously. "The festival! You know! Where we dress up in kimonos and get to be all traditional and they hold a little party, fair like thing. At the end of the night they set off fireworks! They set up little booths and such."

"Oh," I looked out the window. Clearly not interested. Being around that many people was not something that sounded enjoyable.

"Sakura! You have to go!" she tugged on my arm. "Doesn't she Mr. Uchiha!"

My head snapped up and I saw he was standing right there, he was helping another student, sitting directly in front of me. He looked at us and smiled.

"Doesn't she what?"

"Doesn't she have to go to the festival this Friday!"

His expression suddenly became very serious. "Well of course! You must go Ms. Haruno!" He said pointing a finger harshly at me. "Think of your youth! You'll get old like me and wish you had gone to all these events!"

Hinata and I laughed. "Mr. Uchiha you're not old! And teachers are supposed to go too!" Hinata exclaimed.

I gulped and swallowed some of my pride. "Will…Will you be going?"

"Yes, I'll be going," he smiled.

"Mr. Uchiha! Can you help me?" A student called.

"Yes! One moment!" he turned back and smiled once more. "Anyways you have to go Sa-" he coughed. "Ms. Haruno."

He left our row to go talk to the student.

"So will you go now?"

"Yes."

She cheered and started talking about how we'd go pick out our kimonos later today. I mostly tuned her out and thought of my professor. And why he wanted me there so badly.


	9. 8 Realization

With a binder in one arm and my laptop bag over another arm, I stumbled out of the elevator and down the hallway to my apartment. Hinata had dragged me all over town with her family's designer picking out kimono patterns for the festival. I was thoroughly exhausted. I turned my palm towards me and checked the time on my wrist watch. It was already nine. We had been moving since three.

"Six hours, geez Hinata," I sighed.

I could feel my eye lids drooping. My head felt slightly fuzzy and I felt a sort of numbness set in my body. I leaned against the wall. I could hear rain start to pound against the roof. I felt myself breathing slightly heavier. I heard a door click open. I looked to my left to see Itachi stepping out.

_Of course he's home already. Why am I so tired?_

"Sakura?" I felt myself feeling fainter. "Sakura!"

I could faintly hear him rush over to me. My knees shook and I dropped. I braced for impact but instead fell into awaiting arms. He had wrapped an arm around my waist. With his free hand he picked up my binder. I held my surprisingly cool fingertips to my temple.

"Are you okay? Here, try to walk with me."

We started moving. The hand I held to my head immediately clutched to his shirt as I tried to keep up with him. "I-I feel dizzy."

"Shit. Hang in there Sakura."

The last thing I remembered was hearing a door slam and the feeling of something soft.

I felt better after waking up. Embarrassment settled in as I recalled what I hoped was a dream. I sat up and rubbed my shoulder. It was then that I realized my cardigan was off. When I searched for it I found out that not only was I on a couch I was not in my apartment. I looked down at a black blanket that was covering me. A feeling of slight relief washed over me when I saw the only things that were missing were my sweater and shoes. I jumped when I heard a voice.

"You're up, great."

I turned around to see Itachi coming out of a room. He was in his black slacks but he only wore the white shirt and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His shirt was slightly untucked. I blushed inspite of myself.

"Yeah, where am I?"

"Well after nearly giving me a heart attack in the hallway I brought you back to my apartment. Sorry, I didn't want to search your things for your own key."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm so sorry to impose on you like this. I-I don't know what happened."

"Well you had a slight fever and your sweater was soaked. Were you out in the rain?"

"Only for a few minutes." He didn't seem pleased. "I'm sorry, I'll take my things and go now."

"No," he said in such a commanding voice it made me jump. "No, please just rest for a few moments more." He put a hand on my bare shoulder.

Nodding I sat normally on his couch. He moved the blanket away and sat beside me.

"So, how are you feeling? Still dizzy?"

"No," I turned to smile at him. "Thank you."

I saw him swallow. Raising an eyebrow I didn't break my gaze from his. He lifted a hand, brushing aside a stray hair that had fallen in front of my eyes. He let his warm hand rest against my cheek. I pressed into his touch, nuzzling slightly. Suddenly aware of what I was doing I hastily moved away only to be pulled back. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pressing my close, his grip tight. Basically sitting in his lap I had no choice but to wrap my arms around him as well. I could feel his heartbeat tapping softly against my skin. My own heart reacted to the feeling and sped up as well.

"Itachi, we shouldn't be doing this."

"Ever so sensible aren't you Sakura?" He chuckled quietly into my hair.

"This is wrong."

"I don't want to be right." His voice was slightly hoarse.

The loud and sudden ring of a home phone jolted us both upright. His hands slide down my arms and he sighed. He got up to see who it was and I took it as my chance to collect my things, pulling out my key first.

"Going home?"

"Yeah, it's late and I think I should be getting to bed."

"Alright," he smiled. "Get plenty of sleep. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

As soon as his door was closed and I heard him start talking I rushed over to my own room. After locking the door I collapsed on the ground, holding my hands over my face.

_I'm in so much trouble. I've went and done it. After specifically saying I wouldn't start liking my own professor, I've gone and done it._

The heat from my cheeks traveled to my hands. I had done the most unspeakable thing, the most looked down thing in the world.

I decided that the first thing I needed was a nice, cold, shower. After that a most likely restless night of sleep.

I took my time on my drive to school the next morning. Specifically arriving later than most students. Hinata, as she usually did when I was late, saved a seat for me. To my dismay however, our seats were in the front row, just a few feet in front of his desk.

_Damn it Hinata._

I shifted awkwardly into the seat. I ignored her confused look and proceeded to bury my face into my laptop. Opening up a word document I began working on an essay that was assigned the day before. I became so engrossed in my work that I didn't notice someone behind me. I jumped, almost out of my own skin, when a pale hand tapped the screen. Looking up I saw Itachi leaning over my shoulder. I suppressed a blush.

"Mind if I?" he asked.

I shook my head. Still leaning over me, with a hand on my shoulder and another holding himself up on the table, he read it. I looked around him at Hinata. Shooting her looks of need. She simply lifted her fingers to her lips and giggled.

"_You're useless Hyuuga!"_ I mouthed.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Remarkable," I suddenly heard. I looked up at Itachi, blushing when I realized our faces were so close. "This is really good Sakura. I'm impressed." Straightening he patted my head. "Keep up the good work."

"Mr. Uchiha! This won't work, help!"

He chuckled. "Be right there Ms. Inuzuka."

I felt Hinata scoot closer.

"No."

"So what happened?"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Hmph," she pouted. "Well, have you noticed you're the only one who he calls by first name basis?"

I blushed, but coughing into my hand as a cover up I tried my best to ignore the happy sensation it sent through my spine. "That's just because I dated Sasuke, besides we're neighbors."

I could have laughed at her face. "You have got to be kidding me. So-"

She stopped her own speech mid-sentence and stared at the doorway. I waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello, Konoha to Hinat-"

This time I stopped when I saw just who was leaning against the doorway.

"Oh no," I whispered.

There standing in all his new punk glory was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.


	10. 9 Getting Ready

I stared at him blankly. Why the hell was he here? When the hell did he get here? I was almost outraged. How dare he show back up after that conversation we had.

_Just as I realize I like Itachi too._

I cleared my throat and busied myself with my writing again. Pulling my hair to one side I hid my face from him. Though being the only girl with pink hair in the class most likely gave me away.

"Are you okay?" I heard Hinata whisper.

"Yeah," I smiled.

I saw Itachi pass by me and from my peripheral walk over to Sasuke. I could just make out their words.

"What're you doing here?"

"Visiting."

"What about school?"

"I'm taking online courses until next year."

I looked up when they stopped talking. I was surprised when I saw they were both staring at me. Itachi smiled and coughed to cover up a laugh. I couldn't help but smile back. The sly bastard. I looked down and ruffled my bangs slightly.

"Where are you staying?"

"The estate."

"Ah, back with mom and dad?"

"Yeah, apparently someone got married and moved out in the smaller house next to them. They gave me the place."

"Ah, ah, that's good," he pause and looked back towards us. "Listen, I'm in the middle of class right now. We'll talk afterwards alright?"

"Hn."

With that he left. Itachi never came around me for the rest of the class period. When the bell rang Hinata and I rushed out. Well more like she grabbed my hand and ran. We broke into a fit of laughter when we reached our cars. It was only when I got in my car and she had already driven off that I realized I'd left my laptop case under my seat.

"Damn it," I cursed banging my hand against the steering wheel.

I locked everything else in my car and slid my keys into my jacket. I hurried back inside, praying they'd be gone by now. My prayers went unanswered. When I entered the room Itachi was sitting at his desk and Sasuke was sitting right next to where I had just been, since those were the closest seats to his desk. I swallowed hard and walked in. Itachi looked away from Sasuke and flashed me that usual Uchiha smile. I returned it with a small shy one and waved.

"Forget something?" He asked.

"Yeah, my um, laptop bag."

I quickened my pace over to it. The stupid thing just _had_ to be right next to Sasuke. I leaned down and quickly swiped it up.

"Hey," Sasuke muttered coolly.

I swallowed again, standing up straight. Looking him right in the eyes; an odd new found confidence had struck me. "Hi Sasuke. You're back from Suna early."

"Hn."

"Homesick?" I teased.

He glared up at me. I laughed. The look on his face sent mock embarrassment through my body. He looked like an angel just kissed him. I cleared my throat.

"Sorry Mr. Uchiha, I'll be going now."

"No problem at all. Do you need anything else while you're here?" He asked getting up and walking over to me.

I blushed. "Oh no, I'm fine!" I said waving my hands back and forth.

"Do you want me to walk you back out to your car?"

"N-N-No! No, I'm fine!" I laughed nervously.

This earned me a smirk from him.

"Sakura?" I had almost forgotten Sasuke was there.

"Hmm?" I said not looking away from Itachi.

"Do you want to go out for coffee or dinner sometime?"

Both Itachi and my eyes widened.

"Uh, yeah sure, I'll have to bring along Naruto and Kakashi. They've missed you, you know." I tried to avoid any context of making it a date.

I heard him sigh and Itachi stifled a laugh. I took this as my chance to book it. Waving over my shoulder I walked out the door, treasure in hand, and ran to my car. I sped home, ignoring every speed limit.

I collapsed on my bed when I got home. Of all the things that could possibly have happened. Sleep seemed to evade me that night.

The next few days of school seemed to pass by seemingly harmless. Itachi and I did our best to avoid each other as much as possible. We even managed not to run into each other at home. Finally it was Friday.

"So what happened?" Hinata asked.

"What do you mean?" I mumbled tapping away at the keys on my laptop.

"Between you and Mr. Uchiha?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, distracted by my essay.

I jumped and quickly slid my hands away when the laptop screen was slammed down.

"Damn it Sakura! Listen when someone's talking!"

I sighed annoyed. "What?" She crossed her arms and looked at me. "Nothing happened. You know this is the proper relationship between us. Just because we're neighbors doesn't mean we talk all the time."

"But it's weird. He's constantly keeping his gaze over here but he refuses to talk to you."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"What do you mean what? You seriously haven't noticed?"

I blushed. "No!"

She looked down so that her bangs covered her eyes and sneakily look up. "He's acting like he's helping someone but he's actually looking now."

I turned in my seat and acted like I was stretching my back. Turning around, I slyly looked. I turned back quickly. "Oh my gosh."

Hinata giggled. "I told you!"

I lowered my voice. "Everything ready for tonight?"

"You mean the kimono styled dress?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I had the designer add in a little something special for you."

I looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

"You'll see!" she laughed. "Anyways, remember to follow me over to the estate after school alright?"

"Alright. Umm, I was wondering if you could curl my hair, you've always been better at it than me."

Her smile brightened. "Of course! I'll do your makeup too!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "Alright."

"Honey, I'm going to make you over into a look _no one _will ever forget."

I laughed nervously, she looked kind of scary.

Hinata's estate, with all her family members, always made me nervous. She could tell and spoke up.

"You know everyone loves you here. You're family."

"I know, but it's so big! Bigger than the Uchiha estate!"

She grabbed my hand. "Come one! If we don't hurry we'll be late!"

"Oka, okay!"

While she did my hair and applied makeup she wouldn't let me look in the mirror. The kimono she gave me was more of a dress than a kimono. The bottom was dark red and flowed in satin like material; it was loose but also hugged my waist. With a ribbon just under the bust, it tied into a large bow in the back. The top part was a traditional like kimono top. It matched the color of the skirt. However the bow was black with soft pink cherry blossoms sprouting on branches across the entire material. Hinata led me over to a floor length mirror. I gasped and twirled around. I squealed. The makeup extended my lashes and she used a soft pink eye shadow. She kept the lip gloss a very soft, almost nude pink. The finish off the look I borrowed black stilettos from Hinata.

"Wow, Sakura."

I blushed,

"You look amazing too!" I smiled. "Why aren't you wearing a kimono though?"

She laughed. "I wear one every day at home!"

She had on a periwinkle strapless dress. It hugged her body and ended just below her knees. It has a bandage like look to it. Perfect with her long hair.

"Ready to go party and make 'em drool?"

I laughed. "Sure."

We got in her car and drove off.


	11. 10 The Secret Promise

**Hi, before you begin reading I would like to say thank you to all my readers and all my reviewers. It means so much to me to see something I love to do being liked as well. :) I can't believe I'm already on chapter 10! Hope you enjoy.**

**-Rei  
**

* * *

Hinata and I chatted on our way back to the school. It was hard to find a parking space, there were so many people.

"Is Naruto coming?"

She blushed and nodded. I playfully shoved her. "Oh~! Going home together?" I winked.

"Sakura!" I planned to tease her more but she turned the tables quicker than I anticipated. "Just you wait until we find Mr. Uchiha."

"S-Shut up."

It wasn't until I slid a leg out of the car that I realized there was a slit right up the side of the dress.

"Hinata!"

"What?"

"What the hell is this?" I accused motioning to the opening.

She smirked. "The surprise I was telling you about."

"Oh my gosh."

"Don't worry, it stops at your thigh."

"That's already too much!"

She pulled me out of the car. "Oh shut up. Come on, Naruto and Ino should be here already."

"Ino came too?"

"Yeah."

We headed towards the back court yard, which was actually quite large. We found Naruto and Ino quickly, but unfortunately they were with Sasuke and Itachi. When I saw Itachi I couldn't help but blush. He was in black slacks and a nice white shirt that he unbuttoned slightly and left untucked. His hair was in its usual low ponytail. Hinata bounced up to them. I followed embarrassedly behind. I felt over dressed, even though everyone here was equally if not more dressy than me.

"Hello Ms. Hyuuga." I heard Itachi say.

"Hi Mr. Uchiha! Oh! Sakura! Get over here!" Smiling she grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.

I stumbled in the heels a bit awkwardly. I looked up hesitantly at Itachi. I could see him swallow and he coughed into his hand. Rubbing the side of his neck, he looked away. I looked back down at my shoes. Maybe I didn't look as great as I thought. He won't even look at me. I looked back up to see Sasuke. He on the other hand was completely red in the face.

"Y-You look nice," he muttered looking at his own feet.

"T-Thanks."

Hinata beamed with pride. "I dressed her myself!"

"Aren't I pretty too Sasuke?" Ino demanded.

"Hn."

I mentally laughed when I saw Ino hanging off Sasuke's arm like she used to. I saw Itachi go to talk but I interrupted him.

"Oh cute! That stall has fans! I think I'm going to go check that out."

"You shouldn't wander by yourself, Sakura," Sasuke said.

"It's not wandering if I know where I'm going," I said sticking my tongue out at him.

I took one last quick glance at Itachi before hurrying to the stall. I found a black one that matched my bow.

"See one you like?" The guy asked, basically drooling.

"Yeah, I'll take this one," I said handing him the money.

"Hey, um, my shift ends in like um thirty minutes. Wanna, you know um, hang out?" He asked almost as if he'd rather being doing anything else but this.

I stared at him blankly. Did he seriously just ask me out like that? I looked up at the sky. Is it _that_ hard to send me a guy with some brains?

"Sorry, she already promised me with some of her time," a deep voice said.

I turned around to see Itachi. I blushed again.

That is _not_ what I meant!

I felt fingers intertwined with mine. I looked up at him incredulously. It was then that I saw he was wearing a black hoodie and the hood was covering half of his face. He pulled me away from the booth and we started walking around the booths together. I tugged on his hand, indicating for him to lean down.

"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered.

He chuckled. "I'm starting to wonder myself actually."

"You're going to get in so much trouble for this!"

"Only if someone finds out." His smirk clearly visible.

"What kind of teacher are you?"

He thought for a moment only to smirk again. "A bad one."

We passed by Hinata. She looked at me wide eyed. _'Who?'_ She mouthed. I tried giving her a look so that she'd understand, I don't think she did though. Itachi pulled me right on along again.

"What is with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"First you won't even talk to me and now we're doing _this_!" I said motioning to our linked hands.

"Well it's your fault."

"Excuse me?"

He looked in the other direction. "She made you to pretty," he mumbled.

I blushed and looked down at the ground.

"AH! SAKURA!" Naruto yelled. "COME HAVE RAMEN WITH US!"

I sighed aggravated at Naruto's obsession with the noodled dish. Itachi tugged at my hand. I looked back up at him. He really was quite tall.

"Can you run in those heels?" He whispered

"I-I think so."

"Good."

"Wh-"

Before I could finish he took off running. It was a bit of a struggle to keep up. I could hear Naruto's yells from behind me. I couldn't help but laugh as the cold night air stung my cheeks. I wonder where he was taking me. Once we were out of earshot I spoke up.

"Where are we going?"

"The classroom."

"What? Why?"

"The fireworks are about to start! It's the best place to see them! No one else will be there either," he turned to smile at me. "I've got the key."

The normal room seemed somehow very different at night. The lights from the festival lit up the dark room. The entire wall facing the courtyard was windows. I tried hopping up on the table, but to no avail. The dress restricted that kind of movement. I scowled at it.

"Mind if I help?" Itachi asked.

I felt my cheeks heat but shook my head anyways. Resting a hand on my back, he slipped the other under my legs and easily scooped me up and placed me on the table top.

"Thank you…" I trailed off.

He was staring at me. I shifted a bit. He sighed almost painfully. Pulling the hood down, he placed his hands beside each of my hips, wrapping his fingers around the edges of the desktop. I focused on his pale skin. He was so close that I couldn't dare to raise my head. I could feel his warm breath by my left ear. I dropped my gaze and saw his grip tighten on the edge of the desk, his knuckles turning white. I raised an eyebrow and looked up slightly. _Professor?_ I thought following his gaze. It was then that I noticed the slit running up the side of my dress was opened a bit, exposing most of my right thigh and legs. I felt my face flush. His breath seemed more apparent. I looked back towards him and saw him swallow hard.

"I-Itachi..." I whispered, barely audible.

My lips were now parted slightly as I took deeper breaths. He moved his head to the side. We stared at each other for a moment. He lowered his head again and placed a chaste kiss on my neck. I jumped at the sudden contact, my face going even redder.

"Oh Sakura, what am I going to do with you?" He pondered resting his forehead on my shoulder. His voice was slightly raspy. His hands still firmly gripped on the desk.

I thought for a moment. I knew I shouldn't say this, but I was going to anyways. "That question's a little redundant, Sir." His mouth pursed slightly until softening into a smile. His widened eyes closed.

"You're almost too much sometimes," he chuckled.

He lifted a hand and ran it up my cheek into my hair. I lifted my head back up to meet his gaze. He let his other hand rest on the lower part of my leg. I brought my hands from my lap and rested them on his shoulders. He leaned forward and just before our lips met we heard a loud voice, voices to be exact.

"INO? HINATA? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?"

We froze in place.

"Naruto! Will you shut up! You're so damn loud!"

"Naruto…"

Our bodies relaxed a bit and we looked back at each other. I smiled and he shook his head grinning as well. He removed his hand from my hair; my body reacted and followed his touch. He reached again but drew his hand into a fist. He seemed to be in an inner war with himself. When he came to a conclusion he reached again, this time moving the top part of my kimono out of the way. Just underneath the collar bone he kissed forcefully. I winced at the sudden pressure. His lips left my skin and he readjusted the collar. I fixed myself, closing the skirt and sitting in the seat, instead of on the table. Resting my chin in my hand I looked out the window, faking interest in the stars, as if waiting for the fireworks show. Itachi discarded the jacket behind his desk, now back in his previous attire he walked over to the door and opened it.

"What're you guys doing out here? Come in! Come in!"

"Are you sure Sir?" Hinata asked.

"Of course! We've been waiting for you, I'm guessing you got Sakura's text?" The girls and I knew that was a lie. I didn't even have my phone on me.

I saw a star shoot across the sky, it's tail had a pink hue to it. I chose that one to wish on. Oh boy, did I wish. Ino and Hinata sat in the seats behind me. I could feel Hina's intense gaze so I turned towards her, facing my shoulders her direction. She looked at me for answers. I tapped my lips as if thinking and slightly shook my head. I then mock scratched my collarbone, pulling at the collar to reveal Itachi's promise. Her eyes widened but she quickly pulled back and just smiled. It was then that I noticed Sasuke was also there. I flinched a little but not noticeably. Itachi went on about some fact on stars before leaning against the desk table of my seat, casually. When I made sure everyone was focused on the now large display of fireworks, I peeked up at him; he was smiling.


	12. 11 The Chase Begins

We somehow managed to leave without questions of what happened. I also got roped into being driven home by Itachi.

"It's too dangerous at night Sakura!"

"Not if you drive me back to your house! I can just drive myself home, Hinata!"

She pulled me by my collar and whispered in my ear. "You live right next to him. Think of this as another opportunity. Don't waste it!"

I sighed in defeat. "Fine."

"Perfect! I'll come get you for school tomorrow and you can go get your car after school. Thank you Mr. Uchiha!"

He smiled professionally but there was a glint in his eyes. "No problem at all Ms. Hyuuga. Get home safely everyone."

He escorted me out to his car. It was a smaller black car, with four doors. He opened my door for me. It was hard to get down into the car without exposing too much from the slit. I took my fan out, since I had tucked it into my ribbon. I fanned myself with it slightly. It had suddenly gotten a bit warm.

The ride home was silent. I rubbed the spot on my collar that he had bruised. What were supposed to talk about after that happened?

_That was a confession right? Well maybe not confession but…_

**Confirmation? **

_Yeah._

I peeked sideways at him. His eyes were focused on the road. I took a chance and decided to speak up.

"I-Itachi!"

This seemed to surprise him. He glanced sideways at me. "Yes?"

"W-Well I…" My courage quickly deflated. "Never mind." He just smiled.

I stared at the ground as I followed him up to our floor. I peeked up at his tall frame a couple of times. He walked me to my door. In the process of pulling out my key I felt slim fingers under my chin. I felt my head being tilted. Before I could blink I felt warm lips touch my cheek bone softly. He pulled away and I touched the spot gingerly. I turned towards him, turning my key in the lock. He smiled at me and turned to go into his own apartment.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight." He closed his door. "Itachi."

I fell back on my bed and squealed. Did that really just happen? Somehow I was able to shrug off my kimono and fell asleep in the sheer pink slip.

My eyes snapped open the next morning to a soft knocking on my door. I tossed the blanket aside and my feet tapped across the floor as I went to answer it. Opening the door widely, I saw it was Hinata.

"Good morning?"

"Morning," she seemed kind of embarrassed. "Um, you might want to let me in quickly.

"Why?"

I heard a slight choking sound and looked past her to see Itachi leaving his apartment. His face seemed slightly red. I cocked my head to the side but didn't have too much time to think. Hinata grabbed my shoulders and pushed me inside.

"Sakuar!"

"What?" I asked groggily.

"You're wearing the slip still!"

I looked down. "Oh no," It was completely see-through and both my lace pink bra and underwear could be seen. I laughed extremely embarrassed. "Class is going to be even more interesting now."

"Yeah." Hinata gasped.

"What?"

"Go look in the mirror!" Raising an eyebrow I checked. "You might want to wear I higher raised collar today."

I blushed deeply. The hickey he had left was a deep purple and burgundy color. "I-I didn't know he bit down that hard."

"Hurry! We're going to be late!"

By the time we got to school we were almost late. One of the last bells had rung. Luckily this time our seats weren't that close to his desk and were even still able to sit by each other. His lesson as usual didn't last that long and we had most of the time to ourselves. Hinata and I couldn't help but giggle every time we thought of the previous night. I whispered to her what had happened when he dropped me off and she squealed much like I had. I had noticed throughout the class that he would suddenly look away from me. I brushed it off due to the fact of what I had been wearing this morning. He never once came to talk to me. The day went on mostly uneventful.

I was happy to have my own car back after school. I very much liked driving myself. I didn't see Itachi when I got home.

I didn't even see him on Sunday, the day there was no class. When school resumed again Monday it was as if we'd never talked at all. I began to notice that he stopped looking my way, stopped saying hi in the hall, and we constantly kept missing each other at home. On Thursday I sat by Hinata again in class.

"What happened between you two?"

"I'm not sure. He won't even look at me anymore."

"Hang on, I have an idea. Mr. Uchiha!" She called.

He walked over with his usual professional smile on his face. "Yes Ms. Hyuuga?"

"Can you help me with this part?"

He helped her for a moment. I sat there, just watching, curious what she was trying to do.

"There you go."

"Thank you! Oh by the way, how did you like the festival Sir?"

His figure stiffened. "It was quite a lovely night."

"It was, wasn't?" Hinata nudged me. "Wasn't it Sakura?"

I felt a little nervous. "Yeah, it was."

The bell interrupted us, ending class.

"Well, have a nice day Ms. Hyuuga, Ms. Haruno."

I was a little taken back. _Ms. Haruno_? I stood up quickly, slightly angry. "Goodbye **Mr. **Uchiha." I stormed out of the room.

Hinata tagged along after me. Placing a hand on my shoulder. "You alright?"

I pressed my palm to my forehead, pressing back tears. "It's so lonely." She leaned her head on my shoulder.

I skipped the thought of going home. Taking a walk around the city would clear my head. Unfortunately, I ran into someone I really didn't want to even see at the moment. Sasuke. I sighed, aggravated.

I tried to walk past him but he stopped me.

"Hi."

"Hey." When I saw he wasn't going to let my wrist go, I jerked it away from him. "Listen Sasuke, I'm really not in the mood today."

"Let's just go get coffee, okay?"

"_Just_ coffee?"

"Just coffee."

"Fine."

**What are you doing?**

_What?_

**What do you mean what?! This is Sasuke remember? Itachi's brother?**

_Itachi? Itachi who? _

I blocked out all other thoughts and continued along the path to the café. We were sat in a quiet area outside. There weren't many people there.

"So, did something happen between you and Brother?"

I almost choked on my tea. "What? No! Why?"

"He's been going home too much and he seems troubled. I know he likes you, Sakura."

I chuckled sadly. "He doesn't Sasuke. There's nothing going on between us. He's my teacher and neighbor. That's all."

He gave me a sad puppy look. I couldn't help but laugh. We chatted for a short bit. He told me what Suna was like and how the others were doing. It was the first nice talk we'd had since high school.

"Feels like old times, doesn't it?" He asked looking towards the street.

"Yeah," I smiled. "Except Naruto isn't here complaining about wanting to be at Ichiraku."

"Yeah," he chuckled.

"Sasuke?"

I looked up to see Itachi. I guessed he couldn't see me, I was positioned behind a tree.

"Brother?!" Sasuke peeked at me nervously.

"What are you doing here?" He smirked. "Date?" He leaned forward slightly.

Sasuke quickly put money down on the table. Standing up he grabbed my wrist. He stuck his tongue out at Itachi. "Yup."

He seemed quite surprised to see me there. "H-Hi sir."

The look on his face scared me slightly. I wasn't left long to dwell on the look. Sasuke pulled me forward and we ran out of café. Itachi yelled after us but that only made us run faster.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know, but you looked like you were about to cry."

I was shocked. "We're going to be in a lot of trouble if we get caught."

For one of the first time in years, Sasuke beamed at smile at me.


	13. 12 The Dream

We weaved in and out of alley ways and rounded around buildings quickly. I wasn't really sure why I was following him but at the moment I was too pissed at Itachi to care. When we finally stopped for air there was no sign of him.

"I think we lost him."

"I doubt he followed us Sasuke."

"He followed us. There's no way he didn't."

"Yeah sure." I noticed he was still holding my wrist; I pulled it away. "I'm going home."

"Sasuke!" We both jumped at the sudden yell.

Turning Itachi was jogging up to us. He didn't look very pleased.

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Itachi grabbed Sasuke's elbow. "Come on, we've got to go. Mom called. She was worried because you're not home yet."

Sasuke ripped his elbow away. "Whatever." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stormed off. Stopping, he looked over his shoulder and smirked. "We should do that again sometime. Later."

I laughed. Itachi shot me a look. I glared right back at him. "What?" He didn't answer and just shook his head, walking away from me.

In a flurry of tears I took off towards my car. The heels I had worn clicking across the cement pavement. My chest was moving up and down frantically as I panted. I sped home.

That next school day we exchanged glares instead of greetings. I sat down by Hinata.

"What happened between you two _now_?"

"I was just simply having coffee with Sasuke and he was a total jerk."

"You had coffee with Sasuke?!"

"Yeah? So?"

"Oh Sakura, no wonder why he's mad!"

"What? I'm an adult. I'm allowed to have coffee with an old friend once in a while!"

She just flinched. Only half the day had passed and I was already feeling exhausted.

"I'm going home," I said as I started to pack.

"What? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I'm just going to go to bed."

"Good luck checking out with Itachi."

"Oh shit. You're right."

I glumly walked down the stairs to his desk. He looked up from his papers, just peeking over his glasses.

"Mr. Uchiha, I'm going home for the day." He looked confused.

"Are you okay?" His harsh expression faded. "Your face is a little red." He reached up to touch my forehead but I moved away. He drew it back sharply.

"I'm fine, just need a little rest."

He went back to his paperwork. "Alright, get better soon. There's an exam next week."

_So lonely. _

"Yes sir." My eyes betrayed me and a few drops of water escaped my eyes.

His head snapped back up towards me. I ran out of the room before he could see the pitiful state he's dragged me too.

Staying true to my word I went to bed as soon as I got home. My eyes already hurting from the tears they leaked. Before heading off to dream land I put on a soft pink, button up, cloth, long sleeved pajama shirt with pants that matched and went past my feet in length. I laid back in dream and drifted off.

_I was sitting on the ground. It was cold and sent shivers through my body. I looked up to see Itachi standing just a few feet in front of me. My legs were glued to the spot but I reached for him. The world around us was covered in a white mist. As much as I tried to call out to him I was ignored. As he left me I saw him walk up to another woman. She hung off his arm. Her bangs shadowed her eyes but I could clearly see her smirk._

"_Oh look," she gloated. "Pathetic, isn't she darling? Poor thing."_

_He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked even farther away from me._

I jolted out of my sleep. Sitting upright in bed I looked around the room; it was dark. The only light emitting was from the full moon outside the window. I ruffled my long hair and leaned against the cool wall, staring up at the night sky.

_I wonder if he's home?_

* * *

**It's a little short this time but that's because the next chapter is going to be extra long! Be prepared from some exciting events! :D**_  
_


	14. 13 The Only Exception

The moon was full and lit up everything it's light touched. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The once dark city of Konoha was illuminated in shadows. I wondered if just across the hall, Itachi was looking at the same moon too. If he was marveled at it's size and glow like I was. His distant attitude lately left me feeling cold and very much alone. I felt tightness in my throat that I tried to swallow away. Letting only a few tears escape my eyes before I furiously wiped them away.

"_I would not sing of love if it does not exist. But darling you, are, the only exception,"_ I hummed to myself a song I had heard earlier on the radio.

I jumped off the bed and swiped up my key. Locking the door behind me I hurried over to his door. I knocked and prayed he was still up.

When he opened the door he was a simple black shirt and grey lounge bottoms. His hair was slightly messy and was pushed over one shoulder. When he looked down and saw it was me he seemed a little shocked.

"Ms. Haruno? What's wrong? What're you doing here?"

I ran a hand through my own equally messy hair. What was I doing? I looked down. I was in such a rush that I didn't put on shoes, or even socks for that matter. Soft pink nail polish gleamed at me. I tugged at the bottom of my loose top with my other hand. I shook my head and looked back up at him. I inhaled and mustered up every bit of courage I had. My words rushed.

"Well, I don't really know but you haven't been talking to me lately, or even looking at me and you seem so distant now like I don't even exist and without even you to talk to any more I get really lonely and I feel like you find me boring and all you do is give me harsh looks and I've gone through so many scenarios as to why you won't speak to me and I've gone through so many thoughts as to what I've done to make you mad and how I could make it better, what I could do, and damn it why did I have to go and like you so much, why do you have this effect on me and why are you smiling at me like that?" I huffed and removed my hand from my hair.

He laughed for a second before grabbing my wrist and pulling me inside his apartment. He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I tried to push him off me.

"Excuse…w-what're doing?!"

He stepped back a few inches and looked at me. I wiped the rest of my tears away. The key in my hand now making small indentions from the grip I had on it. When he saw the key he pulled it away from me and dropped it on the counter.

"Wha-" I began.

"You're not going home for awhile."

"Yes I am! Coming here was stupid. I look like an idiot."

He smiled and pulled me into his arms again. "You are an idiot."

"What?!"

"Coming here a frazzled mess and practically in tears just because I won't talk to you. You have no idea how happy I am right now."

"What?"

"What am I supposed to do when you act this cute Sakura?"

I blushed. It had been so long since he said my name. "C-Cute?"

"Of course," he chuckled. With a tightening of his grip he said a warning. "You're my student."

"I know," I said gripping his sleeves.

"Your reputation is at risk."

"I don't care."

"I won't let you go."

"I'll kill you if you do."

He laughed. "You're mine now."

I pushed away from him, resting my hands against his chest. Looking up at him I smiled.

"About time."

He smirked. Leaning down he tilted his head to the side. I lifted myself to the tip of my toes. He pressed his lips into mine. I felt an odd sensation flow throughout my body. He slipped his arms down around my waist and picked me up so my feet dangled. When we both broke apart for air he caressed my cheek in his palm. We were both panting slightly. I pressed into his hand, placing my own over it. My hands were significantly smaller than his. And slightly paler.

"How I've missed your touch," I mumbled.

I redirected my gaze to lock with his own. I couldn't help but smile.

"And how I've missed your eyes only looking at me." He paused for a moment and looked down slightly troubled.

"What's wrong?"

"You know we'll have to stay as separate as we can at school."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't see each other every day after school right? I mean, we are neighbors."

"Of course." He smiled bringing his hands down to rest behind my hips.

It surprised me when he picked me up under my thighs and sat me on the counter top. We could almost see eye to eye now. I ran my hand up his jaw bone, slowly bringing it into his hair. Moving his head slightly I pressed my lips onto his again. My kiss was shy and hesitant but I still pressed into him nonetheless. The vibration of his chuckle tickled my lips.

"Getting braver are we?"

I blushed. "S-Shut up."

He went to kiss me again but I placed my fingers over his lips, stopping him. He gazed at me confused.

"Answer this first: why did you stop talking to me after that night at the festival?"

He seemed to get a little embarrassed. "Because…"

"Because?"

"Ms. Hyuuga made you too sexy."

"S-Sexy?!" I blushed again.

"Mm…" he nodded. "I felt like I forced you into something and then I left a mark so forcefully. I wasn't really sure whether or not…you know…I wasn't just your 'professor' so I distanced myself." He placed his hands on the counter, blocking me in, and rested his head on my shoulder, seemingly exhausted. "And then I saw you in the slip, with my hickey on you, and I swore I wouldn't let you be forced again."

"T-Then why all the harsh glares?"

He looked back up at me incredulously. "Because you were out having coffee with Sasuke! That damn little brat. He knew I was having all these wars with myself control and he went and tried to snatch you away."

"But that doesn't explain why?"

"I got pissed because you actually went along with him!" He dropped his head against my shoulder again. "You have no idea how restless I was, searching the whole damn city for my pesky brother and cute pink haired student. You'd think you'd be easy to find, but no." He raised his head again and stared me straight in the eyes. I blinked dreamily as I gazed back at the dark ruby shaded iris'. He leaned forward and quickly captured my lips in his again.

I moved my own lips against his. No other kisses I'd had felt like this. He pulled away but reattached himself at my neck. I giggled when his hair fell over my skin. When he licked a part of my neck I couldn't help but jump.

"I-Itachi!" I pushed against his shoulders slightly. A little bit under my right ear I felt him suck and bite down, licking the wound when he was done. I rubbed the sore spot when he pulled away. He had a victorious look on his face. "Ouch. Necessary?"

He grinned. "Absolutely. Now everyone will know you're dating someone."

"What about when it fades?" I teased, laughing at his defeated face.

"Well then I'll just find a new spot and mark you again!" He pouted.

"Boyfriend huh?" I wondered to myself.

He backed away and crossed his arms. "That's right! So no more secret rendezvous with boys."

Giggling I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back to me, kissing him daintily. "Yes sir."

We kissed softly for a few more minutes before finally breaking apart when I noticed the time.

"Itachi!"

He jumped. "What?"

"It's one in the morning! There's school tomorrow!"

"Oh shit." I pushed him away and hopped off the counter, grabbing my key. "Where are you going?"

"Home!"

"Oh alright." He seemed kind of sad.

I grabbed his hand and walked to the door. Giving him one last quick kiss in the doorway I bounced over to my own apartment. "Goodnight," I smiled before closing the door. I went to bed in pure bliss that night.

I arrived a little early to school the next morning. I had made sure to push all my hair to one side of my neck, hiding the bruised skin. I slyly waved to Itachi before going and taking a seat. The smile he snuck me confirmed that it wasn't all just a dream. I saved Hinata a seat, to which she was thankful for. She had showed up a bit late.

"Thanks Sakura!" She sighed sitting down.

"No problem. Stay at Naruto's last night?"

She blushed slightly. "Yeah. Sometimes I wished he didn't live so far from the university."

I giggled. "I bet."

"You sure seem to be in a good mood."

"Do I?"

"Yeah," she said suspiciously.

When class had started Itachi announced for the homework to be passed down the row. Since I was the one sitting on the end I had to organize them. He walked up the rows collecting them, when he got to mine he smiled.

"Good morning Ms. Haruno, Ms. Hyuuga."

"Good morning Mr. Uchiha. How was your day yesterday?" I secretly teased, knowing very well how his night was.

He smirked. "It was wonderful. Yours must have been too, you seem like you're glowing." He mock scratched his neck.

My eyes widened and I blushed, quickly acting like I was messing with my hair, but really covering up the hickey more.

_**Damn you.**_ My thoughts and I scowled in unison.

As I handed him the papers I felt him sneakily slip something into my hand at the same time. I hid it in my palm.

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're in a good mood. You two made up."

I peeked at what was in my hand.

"Yeah, something like that."

The apartment key glimmered dully under the classroom lights.


End file.
